Description
This exhibit of twenty photographs documents the Atayal Facial Tattoo Culture that was once an essential part of the Atayal tribal culture. Once considered fierce headhunters, the Atayal tribal people used facial tattoos as a way to distinguish themselves from other tribes. As a child every Atayal tribal person was given a stripe tattoo on the forehead to distinguish that they were a part of the tribe. This practice prevented accidental killings of their own people.
The facial tattoos were also a way of recognizing maturity among tribal members. The women were required to prove their cooking and weaving skills before receiving their v-shaped tattoo on their face and become eligible for marriage. The men were required to return with the head of an enemy to prove their manhood and earn their stripe tattoo on their chin.
The origins of the facial tattoo are said to come from one of the Atayal legends:
Long, long ago, there were only a sister and brother. The sister was very worried about how to multiply mankind, to proliferate new generations of people. Therefore she proposed to be married to her brother so they could have descendants. The brother did not accept her proposal. He thought it was taboo that one marries someone of the same tribe, or "psanik." The sister couldn't change his mind, so she came up with a plan.
She told her brother, "Tomorrow afternoon, at the foot of the mountain, a woman will be waiting for you there. This will be the woman I find for you, and she will be your future wife. The brother hoped this was true and was very happy to prepare to go on this trip to meet the woman. The next day, before the arranged meeting, the sister covered her face with black ash to disguise her appearance and went down the mountain. The brother arrive as planned and did find the tattooed woman as his sister had described.
He did not recognize her and took her home to be his wife. And this is how the descendats of Atayal multiplied. From then on the custom of tattooing existed. The Atayal women have since been required to tattoo their faces before marriage, and the custom has been influenced by this legend. This custom persisted until the occupying Japanese government outlawed the practice and conquered the tribes by the 1930's.
Wrinkles have stealthily covered the faces of those remaining with the facial tattoos. The youngest is in their 80's and the oldest is over 106. All of the survivors have gone through the Japanese Resistance and the Japanese Occupation. One can see them as the best providers of oral narrative on Taiwanese history. As much historical and cultural importance as they represent, they cannot defend themselves against time. It is estimated that it will take no more than 10 years for all of the facially tattoed Atayal to pass away.
There is much we can learn from these people. The photography exhibit will provide us with the opportunity to gaze at their wrinkled brows and piercing eyes that have seen so much history.
